The Thread about Nothing....

Yes, I remember Maggie clearly, because it struck me when you mentioned how much you missed her. I know that feeling. I miss Mozart. On reflection, I think we let him live a bit too long. He had lost interest in us and his arthritis was getting worse. I guess we were unconsciously hoping he would just pass away one night in his sleep. I think 19 is unnaturally long-lived for a dog, so I think it's incumbent on us as their friends to not let the suffering go on indefinitely. I would like to go the way he did. I wish we could opt for the green dream without all the fuss and rigmarole that goes with choosing when to die.

Yeah, I did wonder about the fisherman bit... I've never heard you mention fishing as far as I recall.

Okay - wildlife encounters. Not an exhaustive list, sort of a highlights package in no particular order.

- Platypus in the Thomson River.
Back when I was in high school I did a week long rafting camp/trip ending up at the Thomson Dam & one day we came across platypus cruising in the weeds. It was chilled enough that one of the leaders picked it up for a minute or so and we were able to touch it and take photos & stuff before it was released to go and carried on it's merry way. (Probably not approved behaviour these days tho!)

- Rattlesnake in Yosemite National Park.
Hiking to the Half Dome and came across a coiled up rattler sunning itself. I was stupid enough to get closer and throw a few stones and sticks at it to try and get it to fired up and rattle (I may have been trying to impress the Euro girls I was hiking with haha - "wow, you Aussies are so brave with nature"😉. Fortunately the snake was kind enough to not react and we moved on coz when I thought back on it, I was way too close and would have been well farked if it had decided to strike.

- Baby black bear in Yellowstone National Park.
Little cutie was climbing a sapling tree right beside the road. No sign of mum but wasn't going to get out of the van to test how quick she would show up. Observed safely through window and moved on.
Also saw moose up close in Yellowstone. They are big units!

- (Not a) Cassowary in FNQ.
Walking with Mrs Wilchemy on one of those wooden decking beach/bush trails near Mission Beach when there is a rustling in the bush just ahead and a large bird shoots out and across the track and flies off....
Mrs Wilchemy pretty much has a conniption and starts jabbering about getting out of there coz of the dangerous killer cassowary.... Due to the many warning signs around the area she was quite jumpy about rogue cassowaries.
I start pissing myself laughing at her reaction - which didn't help - & she demanded to know what was so funny and why I wasn't concerned. Once I stopped laughing I was able to discover that she didn't know anything about the cassowary other than seeing the picture (of the head only) on the warning signs. She had no clue that they were emu sized and couldn't fly. So when a decent sized bird appeared out of nowhere she just assumed it was a killer. The fact it flew off meant nothing to her at the time haha She now has a better knowledge of the cassowary...

Dolphins at Point Impossible in Vic.
Appeared in the surf next to us early one morning. [censored] myself at the appearance of the first large grey intruder of course until I could see what it was.

Seals at Cape Bridgewater in Vic
Had one turn up to play in the surf near me a couple of times - again, always concerning initially. There is a seal colony nearby so its not unusual, but they make you feel so out of place in their world with how easily they move and play in the water. So cool up close.

paulambry said:

Yes, I remember Maggie clearly, because it struck me when you mentioned how much you missed her. I know that feeling. I miss Mozart. On reflection, I think we let him live a bit too long. He had lost interest in us and his arthritis was getting worse. I guess we were unconsciously hoping he would just pass away one night in his sleep. I think 19 is unnaturally long-lived for a dog, so I think it's incumbent on us as their friends to not let the suffering go on indefinitely. I would like to go the way he did. I wish we could opt for the green dream without all the fuss and rigmarole that goes with choosing when to die.

Yeah, I did wonder about the fisherman bit... I've never heard you mention fishing as far as I recall.

I do go fishing, but I’m massively [censored] at it.

Love the stories Wilchemy. [censored] that bear one. I’d [censored] myself. My nans best friend moved to Canada, British Colombia I think, used to get bears in her hard. [censored] that for a joke.

Speaking of my nan and her friend, they were on the front page of the old Argus on VJ Day celebrating in the CBD. I took the young bloke to the state library to show him the dome a couple of years ago. Walking around the mezzanine they have a wall of old news photos and couldn’t bloody miss it, there is the photo with nan and her mate.

That’s a cool thing to have your Nan captured in such an iconic party shot, classic. Nice!

Brilliant postage Wil. That encounter with a platypus is amazing... they're so famously shy. I've seen them in the wild, but no closer than about 20 metres or so. And I've seen them at the Healesville Sanctuary... but that doesn't;t count.

Do you remember what the pelt felt like?

classic1 said:

Love the stories Wilchemy. [censored] that bear one. I’d [censored] myself. My nans best friend moved to Canada, British Colombia I think, used to get bears in her hard. [censored] that for a joke.

Speaking of my nan and her friend, they were on the front page of the old Argus on VJ Day celebrating in the CBD. I took the young bloke to the state library to show him the dome a couple of years ago. Walking around the mezzanine they have a wall of old news photos and couldn’t bloody miss it, there is the photo with nan and her mate.

Is it one of these pics Classo?

https://blogs.slv.vic.gov.au/such-was-life/melbourne-celebrates-victory-in-the-pacific-day/

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/war-s-end-100-year-old-remembers-vp-day-with-joy-and-sadness-20200813-p55lik.html

The four women cheering, nan is the second from left. Her friend Edie next to her. The first woman I think was another friend of nans, the woman on the far right just a random from the crowd. Flogged this from the age, but they flogged it from the Argus or the vic library, so [censored] em.
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Go nan! Looks like they've got ratchets in their hands. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratchet_(instrument))

...and there's one bloke in a gorgeous press of babes. No wonder he looks pleased with himself.

paulambry said:

.....
Do you remember what the pelt felt like?

As best as I recall it was quite soft, but it was wet too - being straight out of the river - so probably not an accurate gauge of the feel.

Great history pic, classic!
Party on, Nan.

classic1 said:

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Pic turned up on faceaids today, posted by a mate of dads. Dad and my sister messaged it through, I’d never seen it before. That is the second pic this week.

Me, second wheel in the red and white, Melbourne to Ballarat, bottom of the Pentlands, I reckon just past Bacchus Marsh. Not sure but I think it’s 1989, but it may be 1990, so I’m either a last year junior or first year senior. Second scratch bunch.

If it’s 1989 (Which I’m pretty sure it is) I won my grade prize, jumped away 1km to go. It it’s 1990 I got knocked off in the bunch sprint and did ace cartwheels down the road, broke a brake lever and should have gone to hospital for stitches. Dad actually gave me back the odd, unbroken lever about a month ago! Didn’t catch the limit riders either year, although in 1990 only six of us got over the pentlands and we rode through nearly the whole field before scratch caught us on the last lap of the finish circuit. I think the race came in through Bunniyong and finished at Sebastopol. I don’t mind saying, I was [censored] flying that day in 1990 and dead set spewing when I fell as would probably have won the bunch sprint. Distinctly remember catching bunch after bunch, we caught a big group on a drag, spread across the road in an echelon. The blokes in my group pushed up the sheltered side. I just rode up to the front in the wind. You don’t have many days like that.

I just want to say that having met you both I treasure noticing the relationship you have with your father, and I hope you do too.
As a person who has almost no decent communication with his parents, including the most recent of such in which I said 'of course with my sinner's lifestyle I could die before either of you, but if either of you die before me, I will come to your funeral, and I will stand up and talk to your congregation, about you, about us.' Eh, they're staunch as.
They'll probably get their bouncers in for that one. Maybe not. Probably.
I do however have some positives to remember, like the wildlife rescues, but [censored], people can be [censored].

Marriage not as good as ‘Predator’, say men

Looks like Songkhla’s got over COVID. I used to go there a few times each year, but there’s a border in the way now...

"Welcome to Thailand.. safety fifth!" lols.

This stuff is brilliant.... communi hominum racing with access-all-areas. It could never happen here in the nanny state.

So what's the border now? Is this a disputed area between Malaysia and Thailand Eoin?

Tommo and Macca. So many words, so few meaningful insights.

Working overtime tonight, with all that effort diametrically opposed to the level of our enjoyment. It constantly amazes me that someone who has won the TdF's 20year journo's medal can still seem to know so little and make conversations with pro cyclists so awkward. It's excruciating to watch.

Tonight's visit from one of the locals...

It was directed at macca as much as tommo. Inane waffle.

Ace frog. That reminds me of an old joke.

What's green and smells like pork? Kermit's [censored].

What did Kermit the Frog say at Jim Henson's funeral?
Nothing.